Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/268

210 The country about us now was very fertile to appearance, and well wooded, so we came to anchor about a long cannon shot from the fort, from whence four canoes were immediately despatched to reconnoitre, I suppose, and, if might be, to take us, as they were all well armed. The men in these boats were dressed much as they are represented in Tasman's figure, that is, two corners of the cloth they wore were passed over their shoulders and fastened to the rest of it just below their breasts; but few or none had feathers in their hair. They rowed round and round the ship, defying and threatening us as usual, and at last hove some stones aboard, which we all expected to be a prelude of some behaviour which would oblige us to fire upon them; but just at this time a very old man in one of the boats expressed a desire of coming on board, which we immediately encouraged him to do, and threw a rope into his canoe, by which he was immediately hauled up alongside, contrary to the desire of all the other Indians, who went so far as to hold him fast for some time. We received him in as friendly a manner as possible, and gave him many presents, with which he returned to the canoes, who immediately joined in a war dance, whether to show their enmity or friendship it is impossible to say. We have so often seen them do it upon both occasions.

After this they retired to their town, and we went ashore abreast of the ship, where we found good wood and water, and caught more fish in the seine than all our people could possibly consume, besides shooting a multitude of shags. The country, however, did not answer so well to Dr. Solander and myself as to the ship, as we found only two new plants in the whole evening.

16th. The women and some of the men wore an article of dress which we had not before seen, a round bunch of black feathers tied upon the tops of their heads, which it entirely covered, making them look twice as large as they really were. On seeing this, my judgment paid an involuntary compliment to my fair English countrywomen, for, led astray by the head-dress, which in some measure resembles